engleski

The Late Neolithic human burials from Kotlina – Szuzai Hegy, Baranja: the first results of the anthropological analysis

Human burials with skeletal remains of four individuals were discovered during the systematic archaeological excavation conducted between 2018 and 2021 at Kotlina - Szuzai Hegy site. Movable archaeological finds and direct radiocarbon dates show that the site can be attributed to the Lengyel culture. The skeletons were laid in shallow pits, in the contracted position, only 30 cm below the surface, which contributed to their bad preservation. Conventional bioarchaeological analysis revealed the sex and age-at-death of the studied individuals as well their health status. Their demographic profile was somewhat unusual: Grave 1 (G 1) contained the remains of a young female (17-22 years) while the other three burials contained the remains of subadults (Grave 2 an adolescent 11-13 years old ; Grave 4 a small child 2-3 years old ; Grave 5 an infant 6-9 months old). The samples from all four skeletons were taken for the purposes of ancient DNA and stable isotope analyses that will tell us more about the ancestry, kinship and diet of these individuals. The burials show evidence of complex funerary practice: ceramic vessels, polished stone tools, and mollusk shell bead. The human remains from Kotlina provide an excellent opportunity to reconstruct the biological profiles of the studied individuals, while recovered grave-goods allow a comprehensive archaeological analysis of mortuary practices in this Late Neolithic community, but also the analysis of the long-distance networks and exchange activities.

Neolithic, Baranja, burials, Lengyel culture, human remains, grave-goods

nije evidentirano